the fiscal cliff, which is a sure sign that the senate majority leader, harry reid, a democrat, is working on crafting legislation on his own that he would essentially dare house and senate republicans to oppose. his legislation would likely extend the bush-era tax cuts for households making less than 250,000 a year. it might also include enough short-term spending cuts to temporarily offset for, say, six or eight months, the indiscriminate across-the-board spending cuts that are set to go into effect on january 1. yis bill would also try to tie up some year-end loose ends by extending long-term unemployment benefits, patching the alternative minimum tax that duds up hitting so many middle class families, and preventing a mbg scheduled drop-off in thdicare reimbursement rates for doctors at the start of the enar. eyre in hawaii, the president has had a low-key christmas with family and friends, but he will omoreaving this state as early as tomorrow to head back to grshington d.c. to put pressure on congress to pass that democratic plan. jim? >> any indications, nancy, where thewhether the
